6/23/2010

Xart and Trash_Audio hosted Charles Cohen and Tyler (aka Color is Luxury) from Philadelphia for a day of guided improvisation workshops and conversation. Their style of improvised electronics has been garnishing attention internationally, particularly Cohen's mastery of the Buchla Music Easel. Here is their performance from June 19th in Chicago.

6/22/2010

It's becoming increasingly clear that manufacturers are bringing alternatives to Eurorack case world. What Doepfer started years ago, manufacturers like Tip Top Audio, Gorilla Box, Monorocket and others are refining and creating new, less expensive ways to get into the Eurorack format. I've had my frustrations with cases and one of them is being addressed right now with these rails. The rail systems on some cases, such as Monorocket, have sliding nuts making it extremely time consuming installing modules. Doepfer cases offer the preferred rails that had stationary threads. This cuts down installation time because the modules simply fit and you don't have to chase loose nuts. The threaded rails, however, were expensive to attain - even to manufacturers that were buying in bulk. It looks like Tip Top Audio has addressed the rail dilemma AND has developed a more stable, universal power supply for cases - These guys are on a rampage! Tip Top Audio

6/21/2010

Greg Vaneck of Prometheus Burning shares his studio and some insight on his life and work

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh PA. I've lived here my entire life, but have moved over twenty times so far. I've learned to never get too attached to a single location, and to keep your belongings minimal, portable, and if necessary, disposable.I've been involved with music in some form or other nearly my entire life. In grade school I learned how to read sheet music and could play the Saxophone and those plastic Recorder flute things to some extent. I was also in the choir for a few years before my balls dropped. After that my extra curricular activities soon turned to focusing on Industrial and Grunge music, freaky girls, skate boarding, expanding/destroying my mind, and unlearning all of the brainwashing I received from attending a Catholic grade school.I rediscovered my interest in making my own music and not just consuming it around 1998 when I could finally afford some gear like a used keyboard and effects pedals. In 2000 I obtained an obsolete Pentium 133mhz computer with a soundcard from Ebay. That opened up a new dimension for me. My life hasn't been the same since.

MotivationI've been fascinated with weird sounds and noise for as long as I can remember. By age four, I was already playing on my parents Atari 2600. The thing I remember the most about it are the sounds. I was too young to be any good at the games, but the sounds kept me entertained. Games like Super Breakout, Grand Prix, Missile Command. They all had amazing sounds that have burned their way into my brain. Sounds stimulated my imagination more than anything as a kid. My Fisher Price tape recorder was my best friend. I would put its microphone on the rusted chains of my swing set and record the creepy metallic sounds. I also tried to record the sounds of ghosts a lot, and was convinced my house was haunted by three entities. I used tothink I could tune into them with this toy “Pound Puppies” AM radio I had. Weird shit like that. My fascination with sound and how it stimulates my imagination is what motivated me as a child, and still motivates me today. I've never grown out of it. Its like therapy for me. Helps keep me sane and deal with my anxiety disorder. At times the noise helps me tune in, while other times it helps me to tune out. And then there are the times where I get lucky and the end result resembles something “musical”.

Favorite HardwareI am currently obsessed with our Eurorack Modular Synth which we have nicknamed “The BEAST”. My favorite modules in The BEAST are the Hertz Donut and the Tyme Sefari, both made by The Harvestman. I've also been digging on the Sound of Shadows and Plague Bearer modules by Flight of Harmony. The modules I own by these two brands are overflowing with sonic possibilities, and seem to be geared more toward the harsh and experimental side of things which is right up my alley.

Favorite SoftwareI've been a fan of the Audio Damage plugins since their very first releases. I dig their experimental approach. I also like how they design their interfaces to be very straightforward and similar to hardware in certain instances. Propellerheads “Reason” has always appealed to me for the same reasons. Everything is right in front of you, not buried behind layers of boring menus or goofy unintuitive shit. I have a very short attention span, and interface is everything to me. If I can't dive into it and get dirty quickly, I move on to something else.

Workspace and EnvironmentI am a big believer in establishing the right “set and setting” when it relates to any activity that involves tapping into your subconscious. The studio is my “sacred space”. I try to keep it organized yet jam packed with inspiring gear, art, and imagery. I am constantly rearranging my setup and moving things around, always trying to find the perfect balance and place for everything.

Ideal LocationSomewhere very isolated and sound proof. I work very loud, and get weird about people or neighbors or roommates hearing me. It can really effect me negatively if I feel like someone is listening to me. Its like having someone listen in on you while you are fucking. Art is intimate, and I don't like being invaded. Total privacy would be ideal for me. Maybe in Outer Space perhaps?

First and Last Pieces of GearScored a used Yamaha PSR keyboard back in 1998. I can't remember the exact model, but it had some decent features like being able to record up to two tracks. I had no clue how to “play it”, but I figured out how to dive deeper into the configuration and make the default sounds interesting and mutilated. My latest piece of gear is an ASSMASTER fuzz module by Malekko. Its nasty as hell and responds very well to feedback loops.

Wish ListGear lusting after the Piston Honda by The Harvestman, Atoner by 4ms, Sem20 by Bubblesound, and the .COM comparator/divider by STG. Also the POKEY synth module by Skrasoft seems to be progressing very well and has my interest.

Live SetupThe Prometheus Burning live setup is constantly changing. After the “It Ain't Dead Yet tour” in 2009, we got tired of lugging around racks of hardware. Now we are trying to compact it as much as possible. Our most recent setup has me on the laptop running AudioMulch, Battery, Reaktor, and some other jazz controlled by two M-Audio midi controllers. I also have a small portable Modular setup for some live improvised chaos. We are running her vocals through the laptop again,which I can then manipulate in real time. She usually brings along an Electric Violin, AudioWeevil08, Theremin, and some effects pedals.

ExtracurricularNot currently, but I would certainly like to give it a try. There are many nights where I sit in the studio making soundtracks to my own imaginary stories and movies that don't exist. It would be quite an experience to do it for real. I think my style of sound design could mesh well with certain types of independent and horror films. I watch a LOT of movies, and have a huge appreciation for film, especially films with good sound design and music scores. Producers like Clint Mansell and John Carpenter are very inspiring to me in that regard. Too many films rely on generic and “canned sounds” these days. Not enough innovation or creative sound design or synth work like you used to hear in the 70's and 80's. I also have a side project called Four Pi Movement, which started out as collaborative effort between Nikki Telladictorian, Nick Vasculator, and myself. Now it functions more like a solo project for me. I keep everything completely improvised with Four Pi Movement, trying to capture raw emotion in real time using Modular Synths, Noise Boxes, and other hardware devices. I am currently collaborating with Theologian, the new project from Leech of Navicon Torture Technologies for the next release. It will be released on Cassette by the ANNIHILVSlabel: Annihilvs

I focus most of my creative efforts into “Prometheus Burning” along with Nikki Telladictorian, my partner in sonic destruction and auditory mayhem. We've released material on Cassette, Vinyl, CD and Digital formats on several independent labels since 2001, as well as self-released material like our most recent double disk album “Displacement Disorder”. We've also been touring and performing live since 2004. More info can be found on our website: Prometheus Burning

6/18/2010

Not sure when the release date was but I finally received a shipment of Nordvargr & Surachai: A Wilderness of Cloades CD's and box sets. They are available at Old Europa Cafe or if you're in the states, you can grab one from me for a better price. I don't have many, so I'm sure they'll be gone soon. There are two versions: A run of the mill CD and a limited edition box set that includes the CD, a patch, and a 3" mini-CD with tracks not included on the standard CD.
If you're interested, e-mail at trash@thedeepelement.com
*Update - I've sold all the box sets and have requested more from the label. Thanks everyone!
*Update 2 - Digital Downloads are now available and can be found HERE

6/14/2010

A lot of people ask me why I haven't done a proper Workspace and Environment article for myself yet. I don't really have a good answer to that other then to say every studio I've had has been compromised in some way. I moved my setup seven times now and I am really getting sick of it. Each time there's a battle that involves acoustics, physical space, neighbors and other less then ideal conditions. Some places have been better then others. So with that said, I should get to my point. I've decided to move my studio out of my home and actually take it all to a space designed for it. In this case I have a very awesome Aunt that has let me remodel a big steel barn on a huge farm to become my new permanent studio.

Now the tricky part, actually doing it. The barn in question is a hudred year old massive horse stable with a riding arena in the back. At some point in the 80's, the previous owners of the farm added a big steel garage type building to the front of the stables. In that building there was some type of office built that included a bathroom and a kitchen. What I am getting at, is that this particular building already had the water, electric, gas and plumbing already running to it which significantly reduces the costs of such a project.

Construction on this started three weeks ago. Rather, deconstruction. One of the first things we had to do was tear down the old horse stable section of the building because it was rotting, falling down and also started to damage the newer building attached. We started to do this work by hand which was becoming impossible so we hired a guy with one of these things to help out. Here's a small (30mb) video of the destruction.

So, now what? Check out exhibit A which is my sad Google Sketech-Up rendering of the 'final product.'

What you see here is the newer steel structure that I'll be redoing the inside of and behind it, the area with trees, is where the old horse stable was torn down. There was concrete underneath the structure already so this will become a big patio of sorts.

Here's exhibit B, a photo of the outside of the steel building:

At this point, we are still in the deconstruction phase. There is a bit more cleanup work to be done and then we start the actual build. I have a ton of video of the process thus far which I'll soon edit and upload. I will also document this project here as it goes and I would love feedback and suggestions along the way as this is all new to me....

BackgroundI was born and raised about sixty miles south of where I live. North-east England. Getting here was a roundabout journey. Being here is the best move we made. I’ve moved house maybe 8 times in 20 years.Since I was a teenager, I was motivated by a desire to be creative and to acknowledge my right to make music, despite not being a musician. I am not a musician. I find myself curiously attracted to making music, despite my limitations. I happen to believe that technical ability can badly affect creativity, unless you are very, very lucky. So I motivate myself by trying to unlearn anything I learn! I loathe going into music shops. Most of the people who work in them feel somewhat inhuman to me. Or rather they make me feel like an alien! I'm involved with Dead Voices on Air, Reformed Faction, Gnome and Spybey, MzMz LaLala, Pata Particles, Download, Beehatch, Propeller etc. Try www.amazon.com, I find that terribly helpful nowadays when buying music! I don’t release any of my own music, it’s all through record companies.

Favorite Hardware Roland Handsonic. It contains all of the drum sounds I want in one convenient gadget. I don’t program drums, I play them. I love my iPhone too. Some amazing apps exist. I use them a lot. I have a Yamaha digital trumpet I am quite fond of too.

Favorite SoftwareNo surprises, I use Protools because it doesn’t bite me and Ableton Live. I think Live can be used creatively. Depends how you load the samples and play them I guess! I Cut things up real small, so I can play with them and it gives me something to do on stage! I like to concentrate. I gave up on sweating years ago.

Workspace and EnvironmentIt’s only over the past 5 years that I have had a ‘studio.” That’s a fancy title for a room I keep my set-up in. I need peace and quiet, a place where I feel comfortable to work but music making is not work for me, it’s an enjoyable activity. Of more importance is where I live. A quiet village. That has had a huge impact on my sense of comfort and of detachment.I have found most commercial studios to be creatively stagnant spaces. Places to be avoided.

Ideal WorkspaceI love Michael Rothers studio in Germany. I visited there once. It’s a medieval building, there are pictures of it on the first Harmonia record. It’s lovely, mainly because of the location. But I think I am happy where I am. I also liked the Subconscious studio location in Downtown Vancouver. Mainly because of the views of the mountains and harbour. Niels who was in the Pink Dots also has a lovely studio in a barn. I spent several happy months there recording once and cooking, and riding my bike on country paths.

Wish ListDon’t have one. To desire is to be unsatisfied with what you have. I see infinite possibility in finite resources.

Mobile SetupI record on a macbook, so yeah, it’s rather mobile!

Live SetupDepends on who I am playing with. Macbook, Live, gadgets and gizmo’s. Microphones. FX.

Ever Hear Your Music Played in Public? Yes. It made me feel odd, as though what I was hearing wasn’t part of me. How could it be? Someone else was playing it! After I have released something, I rarely listen to it. I don’t really feel attached to it. I would like to think that I care more about making new music. If people like it, fine. If not, fine. I care more about music I have made with friends because I feel an obligation to them and usually the process reinforces all of the best elements of what friendship and comradeship is about.

6/07/2010

There's a little gear, some animals and lots of friends which is more than enough for this irrelevant video to be featured on this site. There hasn't been an update in a while so this should make us look somewhat busy and hell, it's what I did with my weekend.